letter home #4: where is my magic wand?

hello all once again

I can't thank you enough for all of your emails. They are really the only release I have from this disaster right now, and it is truly nice to hear from you. So thank you, and keep them coming.
After my day yesterday, I am ready to go home. And I know I won't actually go home, but right now, that is all I want to do.

I went into school yesterday after having been around to various locations the night before and seeing bodies decaying in the dark and told the teachers my efforts could be much better used translating.

I left school and went to city hall (where I had been the night before) and saw what can only be describes as complete misery. People have lost everything. Everything. Picture a typical traveler with all of his money in traveler's cheques, his passport and some other belongings as the only comfort he has as he sees the world. Now, everything gone. The tsunami even took the clothes off many people's backs. People are without passports, proof of who they are, tickets out of here and any food, money, and in more cases than I would like to know, their loved ones.

When I arrived at city hall I went and checked in with the Canadian embassy and realized that there was a lack of volunteers. So, I volunteered there, as there were translators already. I sat with the only other Canadian volunteer (quite disappointed in this...) and we directed lost Canadians with no ID to the embassy and talked to those who needed to be talked to. A little translating for those who were simply grasping at anyone who would listen.

A dismal situation.

After a while I got word that the ambassador was to arrive in Phuket at the city hall that afternoon. He was going to go around to hospitals and talk to Canadians and see what he could do. One problem, no one knew how many Canadians were at the hospitals (five major ones in Phuket) and what shape they were in, Id they had, etc etc. So I said I would go to the hospitals and update our lists and identify Canadians who were lost, bodies if needed, and talk to those who were injured and do what I could to save time for the ambassador.

As I got halfway to the hospital I got a phone call telling me to return as they had a car and driver waiting for me. (Believe me, right now, to have a car and driver is an amazing thing, so much traffic, riding my motorbike is mayhem.) When I returned there was a gentleman there whom I had met in passing who said I could take one of his drivers (he would be taking his other one with in the benz...). It didn't hit me until later that this man was big news. He is a thai man married to a canadian woman who has great interest in Canadians. Wherever we went he was waied in the most respectful of ways and flashed his 'Palace Standing' which means he is somehow associated with the Grand Palace in Bangkok. Needless to say, a good guy to have on the Canadian side right now. He spent the day making sure I had the proper information and was utterly thankful for my help. I was joined by a member of the Canadian embassy in Islamabad who was here on holiday and knew more about making ID than me. I was basically going along to make people feel that there was someone here, who is going to be here for a long time, who speaks (enough) Thai and can get things done.

We went to five different hospitals, and by the third I was ready to be on the next plane home. I knew what I was doing was beneficial, but it is still so damn hard. We went to Vachira Hospital, the local Govt. Hospital where I had seen the decaying bodies the night before. This hospital makes me so sad. There are simply too many people. Too many bodies. Too many people broken in too many places. We found one of the few remaining Canadians and talked to him for a while and found out what we needed to do to get him new ID. He was swimming when the wave hit. The thing is, because the wave was so immense, the water receded so far right before, and in order for swimmers to find water deep enough to swim he had to go out quite far. Right above the coral. And so when the wave hit he was thrown against the coral and shredded. To be honest, all of the people I met yesterday are incredibly lucky to be alive.

The most injured couple I helped was a couple at the hospital where I took my students to go caroling a week ago today, three days before the wave hit. This hospital is state of the art, but once again, there are simply too many people. People wandering around looking for spouses, looking for friends, not knowing where to go. There are not enough rooms and so the chairs in the waiting rooms have been designated to patients. Each chair has a name taped above it as well as the patient's country name. This is their corner of the earth where they are allowed to heal.

Misery.

The couple I met at this hospital was a french canadian couple who had been in Ko Phi Phi. They were up early on boxing day to go on a diving tour. they waited for their boat on a pier, being rather far out in the water. being so far out they didn't realize that the water had receded. When the girl saw the wall of water heading towards her she grabbed hold of a railing on the pier. The railing broke, but she was found moments later filled with water, scraped, broken leg, etc, with a piece of the railing still in hand. Her boyfriend had a broken back, and they can't go home until he is better. They are on the floor of the hospital waiting. They have no news of the friends they met in Phi Phi, and know one of the three Canadians who has died.

I feel like I am going to wake up soon and realize this was a bad dream.

The worst hit hospital was in Patong, where the biggest disaster was. We went over to this hospital and though there were no remaining Canadians, there was a slideshow of unidentified bodies. I'd never had any concept of what a drowning victim looks like before, but it is not something I ever want to have to see again. The bodies I had seen were covered enough to make them look decent. These bodies were in such rough shape. And they have been sitting in the hot sun since Sunday, it is now Thursday. It is no ones fault, there are simply too many to deal with.

After we finished at the hospital we went for a walk in patong to see if there was anything that could be done there. I hadn't even noticed the worst of it when I was over there on Tuesday. Please check out my blog for all the photos www.isobella.blogspot.com (different from the Thai Visions one...)

So much disaster.

I can't even imagine where this is going to begin to be picked up. In my opinion, I feel that international efforts are lacking. While money is being sent in, and the UK have send a team of what, 20 people...that is not what is needed. Money is needed, indeed. But not in one lump sum. They will need money for many years to come. What we need are people. People who can operate heavy machinery. People to counsel those who can't find their husbands and wives. People to look after the children separated from their parents. I helped a french woman yesterday scour the websites for photos of her husband who she has now decided died. I am not qualified to handle that. (Though who really is?)

There are free flights leaving the island every day going to Bangkok and from there free flights getting people to their countries. This effort, as well as the food and fresh water has been quite impressive. But we need people. The mess is so amazing. If I could have one wish I would wish for a magic wand to bring us back to Sunday night and to warn everyone to go to higher ground.

At any rate I have to get going. I am going back to the embassy with Rin today to go and help out with thais as well. Not to mention, I am moving tomorrow and haven't started packing. At some point there will be a calm after the storm. At some point.

Also, those in Canada check out the Toronto Star today (Thursday) as I had a reporter follow me around all day. I would be interested to see what she took from it.

Thanks again, and be in touch.

gros bisous

heather

the woods are lovely dark and deep
but i have promises to keep
and miles to go before i sleep
and miles to go before i sleep...